Last mission to repair the Hubble telescopeHubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. In this special report, you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are.

For their own goodFifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.

Politics

Retirees will help speed up immigration applications

A division of Homeland Security will be allowed to hire the retirees.

Associated Press
Published January 13, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has authority to rehire retired workers to reduce a backlog of immigration applications that is preventing thousands of people from becoming U.S. citizens in time to vote in November's elections, a Democratic senator said in a statement Friday.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., had pressured Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Homeland Security Department, to seek permission to rehire the retirees. The permission was granted Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management.

Citizenship and Immigration Services is deciding how to begin hiring the retirees, spokesman Chris Bentley said. Agency director Emilio Gonzalez told Schumer last month that the agency has identified 704 retirees, 469 of whom are in "adjudication-related positions." Gonzalez also said the agency has a plan for dealing with the application increase to be shared soon.

Linda Springer, director of the Office of Personnel Management, said Citizenship and Immigration Services estimates it needs 2,500 additional employees over the next few months to meet workload demands.

The backlog coincided with efforts by immigration groups and others to help legal U.S. residents naturalize and register to vote in time for November's elections. Some of the groups and those awaiting to be citizens have questioned whether the delays are politically motivated, which the agency denies.

Schumer pushed for the retiree hiring after the Associated Press reported that a summer spike in immigration applications caused the backlog.

During the 2007 fiscal year, 7.7-million applications for citizenship, legal residency and other immigration benefits were filed. About 2.5-million of those were filed in July and August.

The flood of applications came mostly from people applying to be citizens or legal residents and who wanted to beat drastic increases in filing fees last July. The cost of naturalizing rose from $330 to $595, while applying for legal residency increased from $325 to $905. A required $70 fingerprinting fee for most applications is now $80.

Citizenship and Immigration Services announced during Thanksgiving week that naturalizations of anyone who applied after June 1 would take 15 to 18 months. Without additional hires, many immigrants could not become citizens, giving them the right to vote, until after the Nov. 4 elections.